Programmable climate controller for a vehicle

ABSTRACT

A programmable controller stores operational data for a number of embedded functions in multiple OEM vehicles and is programmable to operation in a selected vehicle among the multiple vehicles.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No.16/170,739, filed Oct. 25, 2018 and U.S. Provisional Application No.62/577,500, filed Oct. 26, 2017, the entire contents of which areincorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to controls for managing the ambient climateconditions in a vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates tocontrolling the conditions in the passenger cabin of a vehicle using aheating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Mostparticularly, the invention relates to a universal replacementcontroller that is configured as a replacement for a defectivecontroller in a variety of vehicles.

BACKGROUND

The ambient conditions in a vehicle are subject to many variables fromwithout and within the vehicle. External conditions, like sun, wind,rain, snow, and frost, influence passage comfort. Internal conditions,like the number and size of passengers, preferences for heating andcooling, compartment size can influence passage comfort. Addressingthese ambient conditions is especially difficult when the OriginalEquipment Manufacture's (OEM) controller becomes defective orinoperative. While OEM replacement controllers may be available, theytend to be expensive and they can be difficult to find in themarketplace for older vehicles. It is sometimes possible to find usedcontroller on the secondary market, such as at salvage yards; however,the second hand market can be risky and there are seldom guarantees asto their performance.

Moreover, suppliers and retailers have to provide a wide variety ofreplacement controllers for the OEM variety of different vehicles.Different OEM controllers will typically have variations such asdifferent printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) arrangements andoptional components such as rear window defrosters. This variationresults in the need for multiple product SKUs with the associatedincrease in handling, storage, and manufacturing costs.

As a result of these conditions, the marketplace desires a reliable,less expensive option to the OEM replacement controllers. The presentinvention answers that marketplace need with a replacement controllerthat is easily programmed according to the specific vehicle application.

SUMMARY

A method and apparatus for replacing an OEM climate controller isdisclosed. A single controller has a number of embedded applications andthe selected application within the controller can be called to servicethrough the programming feature of the replacement controller.

In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method formatching a programmable replacement climate controller to a vehicle,including the steps of identifying a vehicle by make, model and year;selecting a programmable climate controller that has embedded climatecontrol data compatible with the identified vehicle's existing climatecontrol data and established programming procedures; identifying thelocation of the embedded data that is compatible with the identifiedvehicle's existing climate control data; accessing the identifiedlocation of the embedded data; and, following the establishedprogramming procedures.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a programmablereplacement climate controller comprising embedded climate control data,programming controls for accessing, a connector half, and programmingcontrols that activate. The embedded climate control data is compatiblewith existing OEM climate control data for a plurality of vehicle groupsstored in a memory. The programming controls for accessing are foraccessing the embedded climate control data compatible with existing OEMclimate control data and extracting embedded climate control datacompatible with a selected vehicle group among the plurality of vehiclegroups.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the various features, pinarrangements, parameters associate with a typical OEM controller;

FIGS. 2 through 7 are expanded schematic illustrations of the wiringharnesses that would be associated with the an OEM controller of thetype illustrated FIG. 1;

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a 24-pin connector half for a controlmodule connectable to the half of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8B is a front elevation view of the connector of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary dual slide controller face panel; and,

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of an exemplary digital controller facepanel, replacement control module, and circuit boards.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to FIG. 1, it can be seen that an exemplary OEM climatecontrol system 100 has a number of designated locations for certaincomponents within the vehicle's OEM wiring harness and thosedesignations terminate on specific pins of the twenty-four pin connectorhalf 102. In the exemplary climate control system 100 connector half 102comprises twenty-four pin locations marked A1-A12 and B1-B12 with HVACcomponents connected to the pin locations. As illustrated in FIG. 1, aRecirculation Actuator has input from A1. A Defrost Actuator has inputfrom B3 and outputs to A4. A Coolant Bypass Valve has input from A9. AnHVAC Enable Control has input from A10. Input to Controller Blower Motoroutputs to A11. An A/C Pressure Sensor Signal outputs to A12. An A/CCompressor Status Signal outputs to B12. A Mode Actuator has input fromB4 and outputs to A5. A Right Air Temp Actuator has input from B1 andoutputs to A2. A Left Air Temp Actuator has input from B2 and outputs toA3.

The replacement controller 10 has a compatible twenty-four pin connectorhalf 12, shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 10 that is a direct plug connectionto the existing elements of the OEM system 100. As discussed furtherbelow, the replacement controller 10 is configurable by vehicle to havethe controller pins functionally compatible with a plurality of OEMclimate control systems.

FIGS. 2 through 7 illustrate more detailed representative schematics forthe elements of the OEM system 100. In particular, FIGS. 2-7 show theelectrical schematic diagram for the climate control system of a 2007Buick Rainier. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate thatdifferent vehicles have variations in the electrical schematics of theirHVAC systems that are nonetheless applicable to a suitable replacementcontroller 10 as disclosed in the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows the face panel of a replacement controller 10A according tothe present invention with a plurality of control elements 20-32 thatare used to accomplish configuration and activation in the mannerdiscussed further below and for user operations after the activationprogramming is completed. Some features, such as rear defrost, areoptional on vehicles. In order to provide a single replacementcontroller 10A applicable to vehicles with or without this feature, thecontroller can be provided with a variable feature slot that is coveredby a removable plate or weakened portion of the cover plate that may beremoved without damaging the cover plate. When removed, this variablefeature provides a connection point for a functional button 32 that willenable the additional feature.

Because the pin allocations for all target vehicles are not identicaland all models may not have all pins operational or active, thereplacement unit 10 has a first PCBA 70 (FIG. 10) including a memorymodule 72 that is preloaded with assignment instructions software for anumber of vehicles. Since all models or model years from the same OEMmay not have identical features, it is necessary for the software inmemory to recognize the target vehicle, the features in that vehicle andthe associated pins so that the correct information from the memorysoftware can upload or activate for the target vehicle. It is alsoimportant to identify the pin assignments correctly because otherfeatures are controlled by the vehicle's on-board computers and thereplacement unit 10 must not interfere with the normal operation of anyother vehicle features.

The exploded view in FIG. 10 shows a faceplate 14 with digital controlelements 40-56 that are used to accomplish configuration and activationas discussed below. The replacement controller 10 also includes a backplate 11 including the connector half 12, a first PCBA or board 70, anda second PCBA or board 90 with control components 92, 94 and a LCDsystem 98. However, the boards 70, 90 in this exploded view have thesame functionality as the earlier faceplate configuration.

The first and second PCBA 70, 90 house the electronic components of thereplacement controller 10. The memory 72 stores identifying informationfor a plurality of vehicles, and may also store configuration andcalibration software instructions for a plurality of vehicles. Aprocessor 74 communicates with and controls other components on thefirst and second PCBA 70, 90, and the processor may contain embeddedapplications for configuration and calibration of the replacementcontroller 10. Other electronic components may include networkcomponents (including wireless communication components), powercomponents, integrated circuits for implementing any of the above, andthe like.

The process of installing the replacement controller 10 begins withidentifying the target vehicle in a look-up table and then following theprogramming steps for the vehicle as shown in a procedure such as theexample below. These instructions are applicable to the exemplarydigital climate controller 10B shown in FIG. 10 having operative userinputs 40-56 that are typically used for regular operation of theclimate controller 10 when fully installed. The particular buttons anddisplays described below are exemplary, but other button(s) and displaysare contemplated to conform to other OEM components and procedures.

Exemplary Configuration Selection Instructions:

STEP 1: Start the vehicle (the engine must be running).

STEP 2: Enter configuration mode: Press and hold the “Power” 48 and“Front Defrost” 54 buttons until the LCD Screen 58 displays the defaultconfiguration number (e.g., “04”).

STEP 3: Find the Configuration # for a given vehicle from a referencetable such as Table 1.

STEP 4: Select vehicle: Select your vehicle's Configuration Number bypressing the “Fan Up” or “Fan Down” buttons 44. The first digit on thedisplay 58 will change to a “5” (indicating the configuration needs tobe set).

STEP 5: Set configuration: Once the desired configuration is displayed,press and release the “recirculation” button 50. The first digit willchange back to a “0” (indicates the configuration has been set).

STEP 6: Confirm: Press and release the “auto” button 46 to confirm. TheLCD Screen 58 returns to normal operating display information.

STEP 7: Internal calibration: Wait while the system performs acalibration sequence indicated by the recirculation 50 and front defrost54 button lamps being illuminated. This sequence may take up to, e.g.,one minute. Configuration is complete when one or both of these buttonlamps 50, 54 turn off.

In a representative air delivery system, there are multiple factors withmultiple internal variables that must be addressed to provide areplacement unit that will operate in the same manner as the end userhas experienced with the OEM unit.

A replacement controller 10 of the present invention will have aplurality of configurations available in memory which are selectable bya user and then executed by a process similar to that above. Thereplacement controller may have, for example, two to ten suchconfigurations, and each configuration may be applicable to multiplevehicle models and model years.

An exemplary replacement controller 10 with configurations correspondingto different models and years of vehicles is illustrated in Table 1below.

Config- urations Vehicle Applications 01 2003-2004 Cadillac Escalade;2003-2004 Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, and Tahoe; and2003-2004 GMC Sierra and Yukon. 02 2007 Chevrolet Silverado; 2007 GMCSierra; 2005-2006 Cadillac Escalade; 2005-2006 Chevrolet Avalanche,Silverado, Suburban, and Tahoe; 2005-2006 GMC Sierra and Yukon. 032003-2007 Hummer H2. 04 2004 Buick Rainier, 2003-2004 ChevroletTrailblazer, 2003-2004 GMC Envoy, and 2003-2004 Oldsmobile Bravada. 052005-2006 Buick Rainier, 2005-2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer, and 2005-2006GMC Envoy. 06 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer, 2002 GMC Envoy, and 2002Oldsmobile Bravada. 07 2007 Buick Rainier and 2007-2009 ChevroletTrailblazer.

The replacement controller 10 illustrated in Table 1 provides a singlereplacement device that can replace several OEM controllers. OEMvehicles of a given configuration (e.g., the 2007 Buick Rainier and2007-2009 Chevrolet Trailblazer) may be considered a “vehicle group”where multiple OEM vehicle types correspond to a single replacementconfiguration. Thus, a “vehicle group” may be a single model in multipleyears like Configuration 03 above or multiple models in a single yearlike Configuration 06 above.

A second exemplary configuration selection procedure is based on holdingone or more selected programming elements for a selected time to scrollthrough the available configurations. A default configuration can bemade available based on vehicle popularity and service data and, if thevehicle corresponds to the default configuration, the selectionprocedure may not be necessary. A second configuration can be selectedby: pressing and holding both the Recirculation button 50 and an ACbutton 52 for five to ten seconds. A corresponding third configurationselection procedure includes: press and hold Recirculation button 50 andthe AC button 52 for ten to fifteen seconds. A corresponding procedurefor returning to the first (default configuration) includes: press andhold the Recirculation button 50 and the AC button 52 for sixteen totwenty seconds. This configuration selection procedure may have avehicle state prerequisite such as ignition being off and blower beingnot in off mode.

FIG. 10 shows multiple views of an exemplary digital programmablereplacement climate controller 10B. The face of the unit 10B, shown ofthe left in FIG. 10, has a number of user inputs 40-56 that enable auser to select a feature and personalize that feature, such as fanspeed, temperature, air conditioning, inside/outside air, etc. to theuser's preferences. As described above, when the replacement controller10B is being installed, the user inputs serve as programming controls.Once the vehicle identification is entered, the inputs 40-56 shift toprogramming and, after the programming is completed they shift back touser inputs. The connector 12 for the replacement climate controller 10is shown in the center 11 of FIG. 10. The circuit boards 70, 90 with thememory 72, processor 74, and associated components to achievecompatibility are shown on the right side of FIG. 10.

The physical characteristics (e.g., size, shape, proportion) of thereplacement controller 10 and its constituent parts may be designed tofit within various vehicle dashboards. Although the faceplate 14 isillustrated as substantially planar, it may instead be convexly curvedto conform to a particular dashboard shape. Likewise the faceplate 14may be an oval, trapezoid, or any other shape suitable to replace an OEMcontroller and fit an OEM dashboard. The length, width, and depth of thefaceplate 14, back plate 11, and first and second PCBA 70, 90 may likelybe modified as dictated by the spatial constraints of the OEM dashboard.In this manner, the replacement unit 10 will provide a suitable fit andfinish for the vehicle and will maintain the aesthetic quality of thevehicle interior.

Moreover, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that anysuitable hardware may be employed for the embodiments described above,particularly the first and second PCBAs 70, 90. Data, including vehicleidentifying information, embedded configurations, and storedinstructions, may be stored in the memory 72 of the first PCBA, in amemory on the second PCBA 90, or in additional storage hardware,permanently or temporarily. Furthermore, the instructions describedherein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmwareincorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computeror processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronicsignals (transmitted over wired or wireless connections) andnon-transitory computer-readable storage media. Examples ofnon-transitory computer-readable storage media include, but are notlimited to, a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), aregister, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media,such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media,and optical media such as CD-ROM disks, and digital versatile disks(DVDs). As such, a computer-readable medium, computer, processor, and/ornon-transitory computer-readable storage media may be incorporated inany of the components described above, or in additional hardware.

In another embodiment, the invention makes use of the on-boarddiagnostics connector (OBD II) available in all vehicles after 1995. TheOBD II connector generally has a standard configuration comprised of twoparallel rows of pins, 1-8 and 9-16. Vehicle manufacturers are free toselect from among various standard communication formats for using theOBD II to communication with their vehicle electronics. As an example,General Motors vehicles typically use SAE J1850 VPW (Variable PulseWidth Modulation) for communications.

In the current example, the J1850 pin is used to communicate betweenclimate controller and the body control module (BCM) and other vehicleelectronics. The vehicle identification number (VIN) is retrievablethrough the J1850 pin and provides useful detailed information about thevehicle's features, such as an air conditioner, a rear defroster, andother features.

Since vehicle specific data is available for virtually all vehicles, thefeatures data for the intended range of vehicles is stored in memory,such as memory 72 of the first PCBA in FIG. 10. By accessing the VINthrough the OBD II connection, it is possible to know the specific listof features associated with a given vehicle. The programmablereplacement controller in this embodiment will automatically undergo theconfiguration procedure after it is connected to the vehicle and securesthe VIN. The VIN will then determine the information to be retrievedfrom memory 72. The automatic configuration for the target vehicle willbegin when the module detects that there is a battery connection and thevehicle ignition is on. The following is an example of the programmingprocedure.

-   -   1. Confirm that the vehicle ignition is in the off position and        the vehicle is off.    -   2. Connect to the OBD II connector half in the vehicle.    -   3. Start the vehicle and leave it running until the        configuration is completed.    -   4. With the vehicle running, all of the buttons or lights on the        replacement module will illuminate to indicate that the vehicle        is being identified in the memory.    -   5. When the vehicle data from memory has been programmed in the        module, the illuminated buttons or lights turn off to indicate        the programming configuration is completed and the controller is        ready for use.

What is claimed is:
 1. A programmable controller comprising: electricalcircuitry associated with a plurality of vehicle functions; a memory forstoring operating data associated with functions in a defined pluralityof vehicles; a first connector half that is electrically connected withthe controller and has a plurality of pins configured to mate withmating pins in a second connector half associated with a selectedvehicle among the defined plurality of vehicles; the first connectorhalf mates with the second connector half and connects the electricalcircuitry in the controller with the selected vehicle's electricalcircuitry; a first electrical circuit among the controller's electricalcircuitry detects a battery connection and ignition activation in theselected vehicle and retrieves the selected vehicle's vehicleidentification number; and, a second electrical circuit among thecontroller's electrical circuitry responds to the first electricalcircuit detecting the battery connection and ignition activation in theselected vehicle, retrieves data from the memory according to theselected vehicle's vehicle identification number, and programs thecontroller for controlling selected functions in the selected vehicle.2. The programmable controller of claim 1, wherein the memory storesoperating data associated with functions in at least three vehiclegroups among the plurality of vehicles.
 3. The programmable controllerof claim 1, wherein the programmable controller is contained within ahousing that contains the plurality of pins configured to mate withmating pins in the second connector half associated the selectedvehicle.